Open-hearth steelmaking



F. G. KERRY ETAL OPEN HEARTH STEELMAKING 4 Sheets-Sheef 1 Filed Aug. 21, 1947 @Emu Ep WARD WA/LEY F. G. KERRY El' AL OPEN- HEARTH STEELMAKING 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 2l, 1947 OmnW" gmc/whom, FRA/VK G'. KERRY Aug. 3, 1948.

Filed Aug. 21, 1947 F. G. KERRY ET AL OPEN-HEARTH STEELMAKING 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FRA/VK 6. A15/QR Y- 4Ea WARD ZW. Bnl/LEY Patented Aug. `3 1948 v OPEN -HEARTH STEELMAISING Frank George Kerry, Montreal, Quebec, and Ed` ward Thomas Walter Bailey, Hamilton, u-- tario, Canada; said Kerry assignor to LAlr Liquide Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et lExploitation des Procedes Georges Claude, Paris, France, a body corporate Application August 21, 1947, Serial No. 769,984 In Canada August 2l, 1946 y INTRODUCTION Open hearth steel-making is usually divided into two more or less distinct stages, the meltdown stage during @which the scrap metal is melted by the heat of a flame projected in its vicinity and the refining stage in which the flame treatment of the charge is continued to refine the molten metal, after which the molten and refined metal is tapped.

One of the principal aims of the workers in this 'art has been to shorten the time necessary v to com-plete the melting. Practically every conceivable expedient has been tried to accomplish this purpose, resulting in extensive and voluminous literature on the subject, to say nothing of the numerous tours de main of individual furnace operators which have never found their way into print. 'I'hese prior art developments, while possibly affording their individual minor advantages, have not altered the fundamental economies of open-hearth furnace operation.

Among the expedients described for the purpose in question, has been .the use of oxygen for enrichment of the global air fed for combustion so as to obtain more efficient combustion, though no attempts to =put this proposal into practice appear to have been made. It has also been proposed that, in addition to the air required for combustion, free oxygen be introduced wi-th the fuel to control the reducing qualities of the lflame so as to regulate decarbonization of the heat of steel.

In normal open hearth practice, the limit to the -amoun-t of fuel fed to the furnace is the amount capable of substantially complete combustion in the furnace wi-th the lair which is introduced .throughthe checkers. By substantially complete combustion in the furnace is meant combustion such -that at the entrance .to the outle't flue, i. e. the downtakes, there is at least a neutral and usually a mildly oxidizing atmosphere. Ordinarily, in order to ensure this result, air is fed at a rate considerably in excess of .that which would theoretically be required to burn substantially completely .the amount of fuel being fed and there h-as been no suggestion in the prior art effective to provide any considerable increase in the rate of fuel supply over that possible under such conditions.

APPLICANTS Pxocrss We have now discovered that if oxygen in concentrated form (i. e. a gas containing not less 5 Claims. (Cl. 'l5-43) 2 v than about six-ty percent oxygen) `is intimately brought together with the fuel aszit enters the furnace and enough oxygen in dilute form (-i. e. air or a gas containing oxygen in a concentration comparable to .that in air) is supplied for effecting substantially complete combustion, then it is possible to burn substantially completely in the furnace not only a considerably greater amount of fuel than .is ordinarily used but also a considerably greater amount .than that which might be expected as a result of supplying part of the oxygen in concentrated form rather than in dilute form. The limit to the amount of fuel which can be substantially burnt, i. e. the limit to the fuel ow rate, now becomes the amount effective to provide substantially the maximum amount of flue gases resulting from such combustion that can concurrently be removed from the furnace.

According .to the process of the present inven tion, the furnace is brought to opera-ting temperature and oxygen in concentrated form and fuel are fed into .the furnace during the melting down period and are intimately brought together as they enter the furnace :to effec-t preliminary combining of .the fuel and oxygen, i. e. hydroxylation. The amount of oxygen fed as concentrated oxygen is at least six and one-half cubic feet, namely about .55 pound (all volumetric measurements of gas in this specification are at sixty degrees Fahrenheit and a pressure of thirty inches of mercury) per pound ('avoirdupois) of fuel fed. The amount of fuel is substantially greater than .the amount of fuel (hereafter referred to as the index amount of fuel) which would produce, upon substantially complete combustion under meltdown conditions in the furnace proper with the amount of oxygen so fed and air, the same vol ume of flue gases per time unit as .that obtained upon substantially complete combustion in the furnace with air alone of the maximum amount of fuel capable of such combustion with air alone while maintaining a neutral to mildly oxidizing atmosphere at the furnace exit, i. e. on entering the furnace downtakes. The remainder of the oxygen necessary for substantially complete combustion in the furnace of the fuel fed is introduced into the furnace in dilute form, preferably as air.

Preferably, the amount of concentrated oxygen is sufcient .to hydroxylate the fuel substantially completely. Preferably, the amount of fuel is that effective to provide, upon substantially complete combustion in the furnace with the amount of oxygen so fed and air, substantially the maximum volume of flue gases that can be removed from .the furnace. This amount of fuel may often be about forty-five percent or more greater than the index amount. At least about should almost always be fed. since otherwise insufficient benefit is obtained to justify the use of the concentrated'oxygen. Useful results may often be obtained with about twenty-five percent more fuel than the index amount.

The specific characteristics of the flame, particularly its length, volume. and temperature, may be varied by changing the ratio of oxygen to fuel so that the primary reaction may vary in degree of completion prior to complete combustion in the secondary oxygen. It is usually desirable to feed substantially the stoichiometric amount of oxygen to hydroxylate the fuel substantially completely prior to completion of the combustion in the secondary oxygen.

The flame formed as above described is concentrated directly upon the charge and as its envelope is much more restricted than that .of an air-fuel flame, it hugs a concentrated region of the charge and its envelope is thus kept away from the refractory surface of the furnace. 'I'his condition, coupled with the fact that the increased fuel input substantially increases the caloriiic transfer results ina very rapid melting down of the charge with savings, for example, of from about twenty-live to about sixty percent in melt-down time not uncommon, the specinc saving depending upon the scrap charge practice of the particular operator. Generally speaking, in characteristic heats in` furnaces of standard design. a theoretical flame temperature is induced in the region of the charge between about 4500 F. and about 5000 F. The heat transfer takes place within a very concentrated region and is not transmitted as might be expected to the walls of the furnace, usually the temperaturev in the' region of the walls of the furnace being maintained at not higher than about 3000" F. to Aabout 3200 F., normally from 3000 F. to about 3100 F. in modern practice. In. fact, the temperature adjacent the charge is elevated to a point normally destructive to the furnace, but the integrity of the furnace is maintained by concentration of the heat transfer as described.

The applicants have found that the high temperature oxygen flame treatment can, in `most furnaces, be continued for the entire melt-down period, particularly where cold scrap is loaded fast to keep step with the more rapid melt-down occasioned by the oxygen-hydrocarbon flame so as to absorb the heat from the flame, but they prefer to reilne the melted charge with a lower temperature flame resulting from the burning of the hydrocarbon fuels with a flame formed by the use alone of secondary oxygen in dilute form, desirably air. Moreover, they sometimes prefer during the latter part of the melt-down period to lower the oxygen concentration in the concentrated primary oxygen supply so as to propagate a flame which is not so sharp, as during the initial part of the melt-down.

APPARATUS In order to carry out the present invention, the open hearth furnace is equipped with means for injecting the fuel and primary oxygen so that they will come into early intimate contact. This is preferably accomplished by a tubular burner at usual atomizing arrangement using steam or compressed air is also provided. The secondary oxygen is preferably introduced in the usual manner through the checkers. In order to carry` out the present invention, control and reversing apparatus is employed, in conjunction with the furnace and the injection mechanism, whereby the fuel, concentrated oxygen, dilute oxygen, and the atomizing medium are alternately fed to one end of the furnace and then to the other.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In order to describe the invention more fully, reference will now be made to accompanying drawings illustrating one form of apparatus in which the invention may be carried out, and in which:

Figurek 1 is a side elevation partly in section through a conventional type of open hearth furnace equipped for carrying out the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a portion of the furnace shown in Figure 1, illustrating particularly the secondary air supply and exhaust gas communlcatlons.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the furnace shown in Figures l and 2, illustrating in more detail the burner arrangement.

Figure 4 is a transverse cross-section through the burner shown in Figure 3.

. Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the arrangement for reversing the flow of fuel, primary and secondary oxygen, and the atomizing medium.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the letters B indicate tubular type burners through which fuel and primary oxygen are admitted to the furnace proper. 5 and 5a indicate the checkers through which secondary air passes into the furnace through the ducts 6 which are then termed the uptakes. Alternately exhaust gases pass through the ducts 6. then termed the downtakes, from the furnace when the direction of iiow is reversed by means of the mechanism shown in Figure 2. I0 is the hearth upon which the scrap is charged through charging doors I4. The furnace proper is designated as the portion between the respective burners B.

Each burner B includes a cylindrical casing 20 having an inner concentric oxygen tube il, spaced from the casing to form a coolant ljacket 22 closed at the ends by an annulus 23. In the center of the oxygen tube there is held by spiders 26 a longitudinal oil pipe 25. An oxygen passage is thus formed between the tube Il and the pipe 25. This oil pipe may be slightly retracted as at 33 from the oxygen tube Il so as to detach the llame from the fuel inlet.

A coolant fluid, usually water, ls admitted at the rear of the burner, through the inlet and is charged through longitudinal spaced parallel pipes 3| welded to the casing 20 and extending from the front to the rear of the burner and underneath it. These pipes communicate with the jacket. through radial elongated apertures 32 at the front of the burner. The water is discharged through a water outlet 3la. The primary oxygen tube, as well as the fuel oil and coolant pipes are connected to suitable sources of supply outside the furnace. The inlet to the oxygen tube i l is denoted by 33a. Suitable means, as well known, is provided for atomizing the liquid fuel, Where the fuel is a liquid hydrocarbon, steam being admitted through the pipe 34 and oil through the pipe 35.

The checker chambers 5 and 5a are connected by passages 42a and 42h with a common manifold left on full air pressure.

are operable to control the flow of gases to the stack from one side of the manifold or the other and thus enable the furnace to be reversed. An air passage 48 leads to the passages aand 62h. For supplying air under a suitable pressure to the manifold and from thence to the fuel chambers in the furnace, there may be a fan or blower 60 of suitable type and capacity connected to tl'ie con-` duit 68 whose branches respectively communicate with the Vmanifold on opposite sides of the valves 48, lla, this communication-being controlled by valves 80, 80a of suitable construction. Revers' ingl mechanism may be manually controlled but is preferably operated by an automatic device vwhich may be responsive to time, reversingl the furnace say every 15 minutes, or responsive to temperature, say reversing when the temperature difference as indicated by the thermocouples 68 and 68a reaches a certain point.

In, Figure 5 there is shown a reversing mechanism for insuring the supply of the flame forming media alternatively to the respective ends of the furnace. 80 is an air pressure line controlled by a valve 82. This line leads to a illter 66 and then through a reducing valve 66 past a meter 68 and branches into twol portions and 1i. Each' portion 10 and 1I leadsto a 4-way air valve 14 and 16 respectively. From the valve 14 `there lead airlines 18 and 16A respectively, each of which is connected to a diaphragm valve 18 and 18A, respectively. The latter each control the oil supply lines 86 and 80A respectively leading to the burner B at the respective ends of the open hearth furnace. From the 4-way valve'15 airlines 82 and 8l each' lead to diaphragm valves 86, 81; 88, 89 `re' spectively and the valves 86 and 88 control steam lines 90 and 80A to the respective burners and 81 and 88 oxygen lines 9| and SIA;

The valves 14 and 16 are operated in 'synchrony `by a lever 88 which is' connected with each valve through a shaft, 94. A spring 95 and a catch .86 are adapted to hold the lever in neutral position.I

When the lever is in neutral position, both' cylinders are open to air pressure. When the lever is moved 60 clockwise, No. 1. port, in therespective port is connected with exhaust while No. 1 port is InJ this manner movement of the lever from one point to the other connects or disconnects the diaphragm valves with the air pressure supply. f

It will be understood that the arrangements lshown are preferred arrangements capable of carrying out the present invention and that various other arrangements may be employed within the scope of the inventive concept described, open `hearth apparatus being capable of considerable modification. For example, while the invention h as been described specifically in-terms of atomized fuel oil, th'e apparatus may be modified, as will be understood by'one skilled in the art, for burning other fuels having iiuid characteristics, as for' example fuel gas or powdered fuel. In some instances, it may even be desirable to burn more than one type of fuel at the same time, as for instance gasand oil.

` OPEnarxoN Y In accordance with the invention and with the A 6 v conditions above defined, fuel is admitted to the furnace through the inlet pipe 26 in one of the burners-B, primary oxygen in concentrated form through' the annular inlet passage 2i, and secondary oxygen in dilute form is admitted through the checkers 6 and the passage 8. Atomizing steam is furnished through' a supply pipe Il. Fuel is ignited at the burner inlet to form a llame and the primary oxygen supply is adjusted in accordance with the invention as above defined, to condition the fuel for substantially complete combustion in the secondary air@ Analysis of the flue gas will indicate the extent of th'e completion of combustion. This may be accomplinshed by sampling exhaust gases. for example as indicated by samplingvtubes at 8l and Bia.

A cycle of operation is as follows. At the start of the operation, an ordinary llame with a relatively small. amount of fuel is played on .the hearth. The furnace is prepared for the charge by spreading of comminuted dolomite over the hearth of the furnace. Then, the proper amount of limestone or other lime-containing reagent is charged into the furnace and fed evenly onthe bottom of the hearth to eventually act as a main refining agent. The flame is then directed on the charge to heat up the furnace and the oxygen propagated dame, as defined above, can be started immediately any charge is put in the furnace. The oxygen ame is at optimum conditions as described herein and the charging is continued until complete and the melt-down period carried on as described.`

Since the highest temperatures re desirable at the outset in order to attain rapid heat transfer to cold scrap, it .is usually desirable to feed a maximum supply of oxygen initially,- i. e. sufricient to completely hydroxylate the fuel and to bring th'e fuel supply up to an amount effective t'o achieve the advantages of thapresent invention. It is necessary to load the scrap somewhat faster than the normal open hearth practice and this tends to absorb some of the increased heat output.

The furnace is operated by alternatively produclng'a flame at one end of the furnace and then reversing it and producing the flame from th'e other end. Reversal of the fuel, lsteam and oxygen is accomplished by manipulating the valves 14 and 1l, e. g. by a temperature responsive device in the. furnace, a timing device. or

manually. The reversing period may be substantially standard depending upon gastemperatures and other considerations within the skill of the openghearthl furnace operator.

.As soon as the -scrap becomes melted down, but is still at a lumpy stage, although with no high mounds, the applicants have found that it is sometimes desirable to cut down the oxygen or eliminate it. At the point when the metal becomes almost completely levelled, hot metal is Y often added.

It may also be desirable to employ flames formed in accordance with the present invention at different locations thanthe ends of the furnace, 'as for example, by projecting flames against the side of the charge from portable burners, etc., so as to obtain special melting effects. It may also be desirableto project flames against mounds of scrap from burners which are portable orconveniently located for this purpose.

It is difilcult to define a sharp line of division between the melt-down period and the refining period, but the skilled furnace operator will oberably employed.VVV

serve the division between these two periods, usually lime, boils begin to show, which indicates the beginning of the reilning period. During the refining period, the normal type ot llame is pref- It is understood, however, that the use o! the oxygen accelerated llame according to the presentinvention need not necessarily be discontinued at the lend of the melt-down period but can carry through into the refining period if the ad ditional, heat is required at that time', the criterion being that the use of this flame must be discontinued before the furnace reaches a critical destructive temperature asy any skilled operator will recognize.

Actually, however. it is 'preferable to reilne the' charge by projecting' upon it a llame created-by burning fuel4 in secondary oxygen alone. Here. the criterion iorvgoverning theamount of fuel and oxygen feed is generally the flame length and preferably the maximum amount of fuel is led which is capable of vgiving a neutral to mildly oxidizing atmosphere at the furnace exit. After reiining, the charge is tapped.

Exmx.: 1 j

In order to illustrate the invention in more detail, reference will be made by way of example- 4to characteristic heats conducted in a convenof horizontal fuel tube design had a normal rating of 577 B. H. P. The furnace was equipped with fuel air ratio controls for -both oil and gas,

10 accordance with 'the following particulars and results:

Table I Item Heat A Heat B Total metallic ch lbs 396, 430 Percent hot meta??s 4l. 9 54.35%

erging time, lira-mins 2-45 2-22 -Time to addition oi hot metal, hrs -mins 3-18 3-09 Melt time, hrs.mins 6-50 5-50 Total time of heat, hrs-mins. 8-l0 9-05 Tons produced 179.10 188.95

Yield. percent 90. 5 91.0 Tons per hour (charge to tap) 21. 9 20. 72 Thousand B. t. u. per ton 2. 939 3. 486 Fuel es U. 8. gal. o l/net t0n (Bunker C) 19. 49 23. il Fuel as Imp. al. oil/net ton 16. 23 .19. 25 Fuel rateaso ,U. S. gal. per hour. Y 500 .610

25 Slag, actual FeO per cent 9.8 f' 6.0 Rate of flow, oxygen cu. it. per minute at start. 700 800 Cu. it. of oxygen used 155, 700 165, 500 Cu. it. oi oxygen used per net t0n 8 8 recording now ineters lor air. oil and gas. In addition, there )was a modern kfurnace pressure control, actuating louver dampers at the outlet 0f the induced draft fan. A burner was employed substantially in accordancel with the drawings herein. The oxygen was admitted into the regularV gas passage and formed an annular ring around the oil burner pipe.

Two heats were conducted on the furnace in The average of three such heats asv compared with heats using an oil air flame was as follows:l

Spot tests indicate that'on some Vfurnaces'the increase in output will exceed 40%. Generally speaking, the scrap melting time was shortened by at least 2% hours. v

Examen: 2 The following are the details of a test using automatic reversal control by temperature difoxygen in the furnace and inthe manner de,- ference. constant oil ilow controller valve and scribed in Example 1.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 0. 7a. 7b. s

n-w 11.55 1203 (A) s .0 w-E 12.10 12.11 2010 e6 12.22 3 0 00 E-W 12.25 1227 4.0 es 12.31 1000 W-E 1240 12.40 2130 2.4 08 E-W 12.55 1.01 2000 es 1.05 11.0 5s W-E 1.10 1.14 2.5 0a E-W 1.25 1.31 20m 1.5 01 w-E 1.40 1.41 2210 .0 0.2 07

E-w 1.55 2.05 2.0 es w-n 210 220, 2270 0.2 a4 es E-W` 220 2.32 2140 1.0 07 w-E 2.41 2.48 2410 2.0 es 25a (B) 34 E-W 2.55 3.00 2170 1.5 31 00 w-n 3.12 3.20 2310 3.2 E-W 3.28 3.33 2100(G) 0.5 14 5 w-E 3.44 3.40 2500 1a 3.55 0 0.2 14 4.00 (D) LEGEND ron THE. Bova TABLE 1. direction. 2. Revcrsingtime. '3. time.

4. Airtemperature, F. 6. Percent o ninilue gas. 6. Percent com ustiblesinue gas. 7e. xygenatmeter, p. s. i. 7b. Oxygen at meter temerature, F. 8. FurnacepressureW.

A Oxygenturned on. g Oxygcnturnedotoocublo feet per minute.

Oxygen mt to 400 arbic feet per minute. Oxygen turned od.

considerably less. Mounds of scrap were melted more rapidly. The amount of fuel was such that the flame, when using air alone for combustion', would have been excessively long and would have burned down at least into the down' takes andv possibly into the checkers. The flame was of higher heat value although it had a concentrated volume. The furnace was kept comparatively `cool and yet a faster melting rate was obtained.

The llame was direct, short, and controllable allowing the feeding of more fuel per unit oftime. The radiation was lower. The flame could be manipulated so that its characteristicscould be varied by regulating the proportion of primary concentrated oxygen. The preferred conditions are such that the primary concentrated oxygen and secondary dilute oxygen are co-ordinated sol that the atmosphere onentering the down takes is substantially .neutral to mildly oxidizing. The yield was increased. Charging was accelerated. The flame had a staighter trajectory than a fuel air flame. A substantially neutral flame is preferred in that the supply of secondary air and primary oxygen'are co-ordinated to achieve substantially complete combustion of the fuel, with little excess`oxygen passing into the'down taires.

mrvrnuar. Facrons Fuel Various fuels may be used. with hydrocarbon fuels having uid qualities, as for example liql- 1ov about 210'? 1i'. is then infected into the furnace.

The sine of the burner tube fuel opening` may .vary considerably. Among suitable sizes are vthou mf 60% oxygen, and preferably containing about ranging from about Vr inch to about 1 inch internal diameter.

Primary cm1/gen A5 primary oxygen in concentrated form the applicants employ a gas containing at least about 90% or more oxygen. vltapid improvementin the results is noted as the primary oxygen purity is increased, particularly in the lower puritles'- In terms of the theoretical amount of oxygen required for combustion, including a maximum of about -excess air, the primary oxygen range is approximately from 15% to 45% "(by volume at F. and. 30 inches of mercury pressure). The size of the oxygen inlet preferably employed is from about the internal area of a standard l2" pipe to about the internal area of a standard 4" pipe, depending on the pressure available, etc. In any event. the feed must be such that sumciently intimate contact may be had between the primary oxygen andthe fuel for the oxygen to exercise its afllnity for the carbon compounds t0 produce the desired lprimary reaction, believed to be the reaction known as hydroxylation."

The hydroxylation reaction involves a rapid immediate breakdown of the hydrocarbon to complex oxygenatedl compounds and finally to uid or gaseous, preferred. The applicants reccommend the employment of liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons, by choice, heavy petroleum residues or coal tars, and fuel gases. The fuels are-employed generally in accordance with the above directions.

It must be recognized, of course, that thereare a number of conditions that set the specific fuel rate and that these conditions vary with each plant. In furnaces where a substantial amount of scrap is melted, it is desirable to apply as much heat input as possible, which, necessarily, means the highest possible rate of fuel lnlection.- Theelemental compounds or constituents which are burned in the surrounding atmosphere. These phenomena contrast with the less direct reaction, e. g. cracking. which is predomine'ntiy the reaction which accompanies the burningvof hydrocarbon fuel in air and which is thought to involve heatabsorbing reactions.

In the case of higher .hydrocarbons where R represents a long chain hydrocarbon radical the mechanism of hydroxylation may be illustrated as follows:

. o) -nombra-nernennen-xcmomH-rnoacan. I

n nomom-aomcmon-s Ha0+(B..OH=OHs) unsaturate The hydroxylation reaction, followed by immediate combustion of the reaction products in the globalair is characterized by a very short flame.

a very high flame temperature, calculated theoabsence of carbon streaks in photographs, which j limitation to the amount that can be burned has.

already been expressed'. The range above the normal fuel rate (without oxygen) which can be expected for an average furnace can be as much as about-% or more.

Where liquid fuel is used, it is preferably heated to render it fluid and then atomized either with steam or air before itl is introduced into the furnace. By way of example,I steam at from about 2 to about 6 poundsper U. S. gallon of oil and at from about 50 to about 250 pounds pressure per square inch may be employed to atomize the fuel.

If air ls used as the atomizing agent it is generally` employed at concentrations within the range from about 7% to about 15% of total combustion air employed and at a pressure of from about 25 to about p. s. i. g. The atomized liquid fuel at a temperature preferably from about A F. to

retically to be from 4500 F. to 5000 F., the absence of free carbon ln the flame as noted by the streaks appear in a flame resulting from crackirg and combustion of the fuel in `atmospheric The Yprerequisites for the reaction desired are a sufficiently high concentration of oxygen in the primary supply, a sufiiciently rapid feed to keep up with the feed of hydrocarbon fuel, and proximity of the oxygen sipply to the fuel stream. l

One way of contacting the oxygen with the fuel is illustrated in. the drawings and is vreferred to in the description above. Here a hydrocarbon fuel Jet and a surrounding fuel stream merge in a focal zone of low pressure just beyond the burner outlet and induce an immediate contacting or mixing or both, bringing about the rapid reaction prior tothe eventual combustion of the reaction product in the global air. With liquid fuel the rate of flow is usually such that the. oxygen is aspirated by the fuel.

Secondary ,atmosphere ated as 'described by flowing oxygen in-dilute form, for example atmospheric air or air slightly enriched for example up to about 27% oxygen content, through the checkers independently of the primary oxygen, preferably 'under forced draft and independently of the stack draft. ln accordance with the principle of the invention above described, the-atmospheric air employed will be coordinated with the supply of primary oxygen so as to provide sufficient total oxygen to burn the fuel substantially completely within the furnace proper and to provides. slight excess of oxygen in the nue gas. The applicants would like to operate as closely 8s possible to neutral and the theoretical low point is zero-oxygen aerocombustibles. With some furnaces it is'possible to keep the flue gas analysis at about 2% oxygen, but it is not generally possible to hold an older furnace to this exact limit and satisfactorypractice usually entails keeping the oxygen in the flue gas in slight excess, i. e. preferably less than about 5% with the furnace properly balanced and all doors closed. Itis understood that when substantially complete" combustion is referred to, this means complete for all practical purposes. As is usual in open hearth practice, there may be traces of combustibles in the flue gas and the .usual amounts of impurities. The practical index` is the flue gas analysis as described. The secondarydilute oxygen is usually heated by passing .it through the recuperators. The primary oxygen can 'also be heated, if desired, but is preferably fed at ambient temperatures.

The charge The invention is applicable to the melting of charges which range from 100% down to about 20% cold scrap. y 'Ille-duration of the oxygen injection period is varied to meet the requirements of the charge. The invention is particularly applicable to the melting down of 100% cold scrap or charges high in cold scrap content Where an intense high temperature flame is needed at the outset and a large heat transfer to the charge is desirable.

` Coordination of-factors The above factors which have been discussed individually are coordinated as above described to bring about the desired result. For example, the fuel and primary oxygen flow rates are so adjusted that the governing factor tothe amount oxygen in dilute form is Iresponsive to`fiue gas analysis. Anover-riding factor is temperature towards the end of the melt-down period, since manipulation of the name and the other factors must be governed by the fact that the temperature adjacent the refractories must be kept down below a certain maximum. There are a number of variables which alter the specific conditionsfor an individual furnace, such as the specific type of fuel, the kind and size; of the furnace auxili- -aries such as forced and induced draft fans, size and height of the stack, the .age of the furnace, the size' of the flues, the nature of the refractories, the nature of the charge, i. e. amount and less than about 60% oxygen;

12 analysis of hot metal, and many other conditions of practice which vary with each plant.

Distinctionsadvantages The applicants method contrasts with prior art practice in that. while it was well recognized that the more fuel burnt the better, the-limit to the amount which could be burned was the ability to burn thenfuel substantially completely in the furnace proper before the flame extended out through the furnace exit. No attempt was made to coordinate the primary supply of concentrated oxygen with a secondary supply of global dilute oxygen and to increase the fuel supply considerably. even though suggestions had been made to supply oxygen either to enrich the secondary air orto supply oxygen in addition to that necessary for combustion so as to form an'oxidizing flame. The applicants prefer to operate so that the i'iue gases contain not more than about 5% oxygen.

For the purposes of obtaining the flue gas analyses so as to maintain a neutral to mildly oxidizing atmosphere at the downtakes, the applicants prefer to sample the exit gas at about floor level in the downtakes.

The aim is to maintain a neutral to mildly oxi dizing condition of the gases just before they enter the dcwntakes. It is also preferable to sample the gases on the tapping side of the furnace.

In accordance with the present invention,'the conditions are so changed by the use of oxygen that the limit to the amount of fuel is no longer the length of the flame,`but is the capacity for removing waste gases from the furnace. This. in

- practice, is all the fuel a particular furnace can burn without forcing the contained gases into the surrounding atmosphere, for example through cracks and door openings. It is usually desirable to operate close to this maximum fuel feed but in any event, the fuel feed is always substantially greater as above defined, than according to prior art practice. In accordance with the invention the ratio of oxygen to air is governed to some extent by economic considerations and itis generally desirable to provide enough oxygen in a manner ydescribed to hydroxylate the primary iluelsubstantially completely prior to secondary combustion. 0n the" other hand, less oxygen can be employed and no matter what amount is used in the primary reaction an advantage is gained over prior art practice in that the amount of fuel which is fed under such conditions, in accordance with the invention, is greater than the amount which can be fed according to the prior art using a fuel-air llame.

It-will be understood that. without departing from the spirit 'of the invention or the scope of the claims, various modiilcations may be made in the specific expedients described. The latter are illustrative only and not offered in a restricting sense, it being desired that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as may be required by the state of the prior art.

The sub-titles used throughout the specification are merely to simplify reference thereto and should otherwise be disregarded,

We claim:

1. A'process of making steel in an open hearth furnace which comprises melting down a charge in an open hearth with a ameiormed by feeding fuel into the furnace during the meltingdown with owgen containing gas containing not intimately bringing together said oxygen containing gas and fuel as they enter the furnace, thereby to accelerate the aman;

which is about greater than the amount offuel which would be completely combusted in the furnace in the presence of the oxygen so fed and produce the same volume of flue gas as would be produced when the maximum amount of fuel is completely combusted in the furnace in air alone and an amount to provide substantially the maximum amount of flue gases that can concurrently be removed from the furnace; and impinging the flame so formed directly upon the charge to effect its melting down thereby accelerating the melting down of the charge whereby the meltdown time is substantially less than possible with a fuel-air ame.

2. A process according to claim 1 wherein the oxygen containing gas contains oxygen in amount not less than about 90%.

3. A process according to claim 1 wherein the fuel is fed at a rate to provide substantial-ly the maximum amount of flue gases resulting from combustion that can concurrently be removed from the furnace.

4. A process according to claim 1 wherein the oxygen in dilute form introduced into the furnace as the remainder of the oxygen necessary for substantially complete combustion is atmospheric air.

5. A process according to claim 1 wherein the oxygen containing gas contains oxygen in amount not less than about and wherein the oxygen in dilute form introduced into the furnace as the remainder of the oxygen necessary for substantially complete combustion is atmospheric air.

FRANK GEORGE KERRY. EDWARD THOMAS WALTER BAILEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the fiile of this patent:

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